PROJECT DESCRIPTION

PennDOT is rehabilitating, repairing, and repainting the steel superstructure of the Chestnut Street (Route 3) bridge over the Schuylkill River; replacing the deck of the river bridge and the adjacent Chestnut Street bridges over 30th Street and Amtrak, the CSX rail lines, and 24th Street; and resurfacing Chestnut Street between 31st Street and 22nd Street.

The project also includes:

Rehabilitation and deck replacement of two bridges on Schuylkill Avenue between Market Street and Walnut Street;

Rehabilitation of two ramp structures for the I-76 off- and on-ramps between Chestnut Street and Walnut Street;

Rehabilitation of the Chestnut Street arch bridges over 24th Street and CSX Railroad;

Rehabilitation of a 900-foot section of the river wall* structure between I-76 and the Schuylkill River from Market Street to Walnut Street;

Rehabilitation of a 15-foot section of the retaining wall supporting the Schuylkill River Trail under Chestnut Street;

Installation of new traffic signals and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) along Chestnut Street between 31st Street and 23rd Street;

Installation of new street lighting along Chestnut Street between 31st Street and 22nd Street;

Replacement of millennium** lighting on Chestnut Street over the Schuylkill River;

Construction of a new trellis at the Chestnut Street Trailhead to Schuylkill River Trail;

Re-striping pavement markings for a left side bike lane on Chestnut Street between 34th Street and 22nd Street;

Installation of a new clear acrylic barrier along the Amtrak Northeast Corridor tracks located on the west side of Schuylkill Avenue between Chestnut Street and Walnut Street;

Construction of wider sidewalks and installation of decorative barrier and railings on the Chestnut Street and Schuylkill Avenue bridges; and

Resurfacing of Chestnut Street from 31st Street to 30th Street, and from 24th Street to 22nd Street.

* The river wall is a bulkhead with precast roof panels between the I-76 barrier and the west bank of the Schuylkill River.** Millennium lighting is the existing enhancement lighting on the underside of the bridge that was placed for the 2000 Millennium Celebration. It will be replaced with new LED enhancement lighting attached to the underside of bridge.

Travel Restrictions During Construction

Bridges on Chestnut Street and Schuylkill Avenue will be under construction concurrently but will remain open for most of the project. However, the Chestnut Street bridge over the Schuylkill River will close for about one year beginning in mid-2019. There will be various travel lane and sidewalk restrictions in place during the three stages of construction that will require shifts in the lane and sidewalk configurations. I-76 also may close in the vicinity of the project area at night at times.

The on- and off-ramps will be restricted to single lanes during construction. There will be nighttime and weekend full closures of the ramps during certain construction operations. Go here for more details about the impacts of construction.

No long term lane restrictions planned on Chestnut Street or Schuylkill Avenue; and

24th Street closed under Chestnut Street.

Detours

A localized detour will be in place for Chestnut Street from Schuylkill Avenue to 23rd Street for approximately one year beginning midway through the project for the rehabilitation of the structurally deficient, weight posted Chestnut Street masonry arch bridge structure over CSX railroad;

The Schuylkill River Trail will be closed under Chestnut Street for approximately three months over the winter of 2018-2019 for repairs; and

Access will be maintained up to and through all construction areas.

Background

The structures on Chestnut Street were constructed between 1864 and 1960 and carry an average of 18,300 vehicles per day. The structures on Schuylkill Avenue were constructed in the late 1950’s and carry an average of 8,600 vehicles per day.

This project, financed with 80 percent federal and 20 percent state funds, continues PennDOT’s commitment to bridge preservation within the surrounding University City and Center City Districts of Philadelphia.

Local access will be maintained up to and through the construction zone.